The little puppy on the right looks a little too happy for an animal born in a country where dogs don’t exactly share the high status they enjoy on this side of the pond. And yet Squealer — so dubbed because of the sound she makes whenever she’s not with Jake and the other soldiers — wears the happy, blissed out smile you’d expect from any pampered pooch raised in the leafiest suburb of Baltimore or Jacksonville.
Jake and his guys plan to give Squealer a more dignified name once her personality more fully emerges, probably something in Dari or Pashtun to honor her roots.
Squealer gave the guys quite the scare the other night when she escaped from her pen into inhospitable terrain inhabited by packs of wild, snarling dogs who would probably view her as a 20-pack of Chicken McNuggets with extra BBQ sauce. By the time they realized she was gone the next morning, Jake was frantic looking for her. He, another soldier and Jake’s terp took off on four-wheelers in search of her. Jake eventually found her meandering around “the mine detection lane next door.” Whether that means land mines were actually being detected down said lane or it was an area where mine detecting equipment was stored is unclear. Whatever the case, Jake was extremely relieved as he scooped the puppy onto his four-wheeler and brought her back to the base where he spent the rest of the morning finalizing a new dog house and enclosed run featuring plenty of shelter and shade from the sun and elements.
The larger animal in the photo is Angel, a semi wild dog who hangs around the base yet seems to play well with Squealer. Angel seems to be showing Squealer the ropes in her way, so Jake may take them both out with him more often.
All original content © 2012 by Jessie Knadler
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“Mine detection” – what a reminder of what our volunteer soldiers have to endure – God bless them all – all the time.
I enjoy hearing about what’s going on with Jake. Thanks for sharing.